'Life to you, Tempus.' Her voice was thick as ale, and he realized he wasthirsty. Promise Park and the Alekeep, an east-side establishment consideredupper class by those who could tell classes of Ilsigs, were right around thecorner, a block up the Street of Gold from where they met. He proposed to takeher there for lunch. She was delighted - all things mortal were new to her; thewhole business of being in flesh and attending to it was yet novel. A novice atlife, Jihan was hungry for the whole of it.
For him, she served a special purpose: her loveplay was rough and herconstitution hardier than his Tros horses - he could not couple gently; withher, he did not inflict permanent harm on his partner; she was bom of violenceinchoate and savoured what would kill or cripple mortals.
At the Alekeep, they were welcome. They talked in a back and private room of thegod's absence and what could be made of it and the owner served them himself, anavuncular sort still grateful that Tempus's men had kept his daughters safe whenwizard weather roamed the streets. 'My girl's graduating school today. LordMarshal - my youngest. We've a fete set and you and your companion would be mostwelcome guests.'
Jihan touched his arm as he began to decline, her stormy eyes flecked red andglowing.
'... ah, perhaps we will drop by, then, if business permits.'
But they didn't, having found pressing matters of lust to attend to, and allthings that happened then might have been avoided if they hadn't been out oftouch with the Stepsons, unreachable down by the creek that ran north of thebarracks when sorcery met machination and all things went awry.
On their way to work, Niko and Janni stopped at the Vulgar Unicorn to wait forthe moon to rise. The moon would be full this evening, a blessing since